Semiconductor chips power everything, from Nintendo Switch games and TikTok videos to Mars rovers and virtual reality headsets, yet few understand how they work. That’s why ASM, a leading semiconductor equipment and process technology company, launched its “From Sand to Stars: A Semiconductor Adventure” exhibition at Arizona Science Center, which transforms the mysterious world of microchips into a playground of discovery for young minds.
The exhibition has already captivated over 7,300 visitors since its opening in late September. This includes about 5,700 students from low-income Phoenix schools who attended through ASM-sponsored field trips.
The Arizona Science Center exhibition turns complex semiconductor concepts into hands-on adventures. Students complete electrical circuits with their own bodies, light up a periodic table featuring semiconductor superstars like silicon and hafnium oxide, and marvel at a nearly 8-foot-tall photo wall of ASM’s massive XP8 Synergis technology found in the world’s leading chip fabs.
“For nearly 50 years, ASM has led semiconductor innovation right here in Arizona to support our worldwide customers, and now we’re inspiring the next generation of talent to shape the future of our industry,” said Vamsi Paruchuri, Corporate VP, Technology, Innovation & Market Research at ASM. “Seeing students engage with our technology is especially meaningful as we invest in our new Scottsdale R&D center. The same kids lighting up circuits today could be designing our next breakthrough materials and equipment in a decade.”
The exhibition’s launch coincided with SEMICON West, North America’s largest semiconductor conference, which was held in Phoenix for the first time in the show’s 50-year history. Arizona now leads the nation in semiconductor investments, with the Semiconductor Industry Alliance projecting nearly 115,000 new jobs by 2030, with an estimated 58% at risk of going unfilled without initiatives like this exhibition inspiring the next generation.
“Since opening in September, the From Sand to Stars: A Semiconductor Adventure exhibition has not only introduced countless guests to the wonder of semiconductor science—it has inspired them to imagine themselves as the next engineers, innovators, and problem-solvers,” said Tammy Stewart, Interim Hazel A. Hare President & CEO, Arizona Science. “We’re incredibly proud to see how this journey is sparking both understanding and possibility.”
“My students were so excited about the ASM Semiconductor exhibition,” said an Arizona teacher whose students visited the exhibition. “The experience helped them understand how much science and technology go into creating something so small but so important. It definitely opened their eyes to how the semiconductor industry works and even got some of them thinking about pursuing careers in this field.”
Families can still experience “From Sand to Stars” through December 24, 2025, at Arizona Science Center, located at 600 E. Washington St. in downtown Phoenix. The exhibition is displayed in the Center’s lobby and is included with general admission.
